When Tragedy Strikes
by One Tree Hill Obsessed
Summary: After the death of Peyton’s fiancé, Jake, Peyton finds comfort in his best friend, Lucas. Starts off as BL, but eventually will be LP, will have some NH, and possibly some JP flashbacks.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary-** After the death of Peyton's fiancé, Jake, Peyton finds comfort in his best friend, Lucas. Starts off as BL, but eventually will be LP, will have some NH, and possibly some JP flashbacks.

**This is an AU story, so many things will be different in the show, but all should be explained. Reviews Appreciated: )**

Lucas Scott watched the green eyed blonde from across the room. Her eyes were red and puffy from the excess crying she had been doing all day. Lucas watched her closely as she walked into the kitchen of the house. She opened up a cupboard and pulled out a large bottle of alcohol and soon began sipping on it. She looked around, and many eyes were on her, but she didn't care. She had just lost the love of her life, and she felt like she was allowed to make a scene. There she was, after Jake's funeral she was forced to come back to Jake's house with all of Jake's relatives and close friends, this was torture to her. She took another long drink from the bottle as she watched _him_ walk towards her.

Lucas reached an arm out and pulled the bottle away from her. She quickly hit him on the arm as he placed the bottle down on the counter. "Get the hell away from me!" she screamed. Everyone in the room turned to look at her once again, but she still didn't care.

"Peyton…" he said softly as he tried to calm her down.

"Don't!" she screamed once again. "Just leave me alone Lucas." When she realized that he wasn't going to go anywhere she threw her fists out, hitting him in the chest violently. "Go away!" she yelled in anger.

Lucas caught her hands and held them tightly so she would stop hitting him. He lowered her hands down. "You're making a fool out of yourself, just stop." He whispered lightly.

"This is all your fault, Lucas Scott! I wouldn't be _making a fool of myself_ if it wasn't for you! If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be in this room, surrounded by all of these people, I would be with Jake! It's your fault he is dead. Why couldn't you just drive that night? Then that truck would have rammed into _your_ side of the car and _you_ would be dead! But no, instead _he_ is gone!"

Lucas looked into her eyes and lowered his head. Her eyes were cold and her tone was harsh. He wasn't going to argue with her, the truth was he had been saying the same things to himself all week, but wishing it was him wouldn't change anything. And it for sure wouldn't bring Jake back. Lucas sighed and looked up at her once again. Tears were streaming down her face, and Lucas didn't say anything. He only grabbed a hold of her and pulled her into a tight embracing hug.

Lucas rested his chin on the top of her head as she sobbed into his shoulder. Lucas glanced around the room at everyone who had their eyes fixated on them. He let out a deep sigh and wished that everyone would just go back to their own business. He continued to wrap his arms tightly around her small body, and she continued to cry. He glanced around at the crowd once more, but this time one specific person caught his eye. His girlfriend, Brooke, looked at him with jealousy in her eyes. Lucas shook his head lightly. She had no reason to be jealous, Peyton was his _friend_ and she needed him right now. This would have been what Jake wanted, someone to take care of her when he couldn't.

The next day, Lucas sat quietly as he sipped coffee from a cup at a local coffee shop. He spent a lot of time at this shop, he felt relaxed there. "Peyton wants me to move into that huge house with her." Lucas' friend, Haley said after taking a small bite from a bagel. "She doesn't want to stay in that house by herself, without Jake."

Lucas looked away in sadness as he heard Haley say his name. "He had that house built for them." Lucas began. "Just for the two of them, and Jenny." Lucas said as he pictured the young five year old girl in his mind. "She isn't ready to let go of it yet. I understand."

"Then why don't you move in with her?" Haley giggled at her suggestion.

"What?" Lucas asked as he almost choked on his coffee.

"Yeah, think about it Luke…You have known Peyton since freshman year of college, and you have been in love with her since you saw her for the first time, here in this shop."

Lucas nodded as he looked around at his surroundings. She was right, this was the place where he first met Peyton, and he did fall in love with her the first time his eyes met her beautiful bright green ones. If he hadn't introduced them, Jake and Peyton would have never met. "You are so crazy Hales!" Lucas laughed. "Yeah, here is my plan; I am going to move in with the fiancé of my dead best friend so I can confess my true love for her." Lucas said with sarcasm flowing through his voice. "Yeah, that's exactly what I am going to do." He said rolling his eyes. "Plus, there happens to be this wonderful brunette girl you know…one of your fiends, who I happen to love very much."

"Luke, you said it yourself; you and Brooke are slowly growing apart."

"Haley, are you hearing everything you are saying? Peyton has been through too much. There is no way I am going to even think about telling her how I have felt for the past five years." Lucas smiled. "Please just drop it. Now is the worst time to ever bring up something like that, and telling her is the worst idea ever. It's never going to happen."

**So there is the first chapter! Let me know what you guys think, should I continue it? I did get the idea from the movie Catch and Release. So the story will be kinda similar, but not completely the same.**


	2. Chapter 2

Lucas parked his car outside of Peyton's house. He took a deep breath as he reached her door, questioning himself if coming to see her was the right thing to do at the moment. He lifted his right fist and knocked on the door. In a few moments Peyton appeared in the doorway. "Hey Luke." She said softly.

Lucas looked at her briefly and then glanced down. He hated seeing her like this. Her eyes were red and puffy, a sign that she had been crying. "Hey." He said, matching her soft tone.

"I'm sorry." She said as she continued to stand in the doorway. "For last week, and blaming everything on you."

Lucas nodded his head slowly. "You don't need to apologies to me." He said with a smile.

She smiled back at him, but it wasn't her usual smile, it was a weak one. "You want to come in?" she asked as she stepped aside, giving him room to walk past her. She shut the door behind him and followed him into the living room of the house.

Lucas glanced around at everything that surrounded him. There were cardboard boxes everywhere. "What's going on with the boxes?

"I haven't unpacked yet." She stated as she sat down on the couch.

"Unpacked?" he asked as he tilted his head slightly in confusion.

"Yeah…I never officially moved in with Jake. I just kinda always spent the night." She bit her bottom lip lightly as she said his name. "I wasn't going to move in until after the wedding." Warm tears began to stream down her face, but she turned away from Lucas, trying to hide them.

"Hey…" he said as he sat next to her, pulling her into a comforting hug. "You're going to be okay."

"Am I Luke? Because it sure doesn't seem like it!" she buried her face into his chest as the tears began to pour out of her eyes. "I just don't understand why. I don't get it, why did he have to leave me like this?" she pulled away from his hug and looked around the room. Everything on the tables, the shelves, all of the furniture, it was all Jake's. "I'm not ready to let go of everything."

Lucas stared at her; she was now sitting a couple feet away from him. "I know, I understand." He didn't have anything else to say, so he just sat with her, in silence, until his phone began to ring. "I'm sorry." He spoke lightly to her as he dug the phone out of his pocket. He looked down at the screen, it was Brooke. "Hey." He said as he flipped it open. "No…now isn't a good time, I can't. I'm with Peyton." Lucas closed his eyes and cursed at himself as he said her name, knowing it was going to upset Brooke. "We are just talking Brooke." He paused, listening to her angry voice. "No! Stop being so paranoid. Yeah okay sure, bye." He hung up and placed his phone down on the coffee table that sat in front of the couch.

"She doesn't seem to like me much, hm?" Peyton allowed a small laugh to escape her, causing Lucas to smile at her.

"No…Its not that she doesn't like you she just…I don't know." Lucas leaned back and he then to began to laugh.

"I don't know what to do Luke." Peyton said as she stared out into empty space. "Haley won't move in with me. And I know you're going to think I'm crazy for saying this, but I want to live here, in this house. I'm just not ready to let go of this piece of him."

"I don't think you're crazy." Lucas stated in a comforting voice. "I know what you mean." Lucas paused for a moment as a past memory came back to him. "When I was in high school my uncle died. I was really close to him. He was the most inspiring person in my life, and all in one day he was gone. I used to sleep in his old apartment some nights, for about a month…until someone rented out the apartment, and then it was gone." Lucas turned and looked at Peyton, but she failed to make eye contact with him. "You have all of the time you need, you have no one rushing you out of this place."

She nodded her head. "I'm sorry." When Lucas looked at her in confusion she smiled again. "For your uncle."

Moments had passed, and neither of them said anything. Peyton enjoyed to company of another person, but yet she loved that they could just sit there in silence, without feeling awkward. "It's kinda funny." She started as she turned and looked at him once again. "I have known you for a long time Lucas, and I am still learning more about you everyday. It's just kinda funny how you can think you know someone so well, but yet there are still so many missing pieces to their puzzle."

Lucas nodded in agreement. He knew exactly what she meant; it was how he felt about her. He knew a lot about her, after all he had known her for five years, but she still continued to remain a mystery to him. Lucas then stood up, and so did she. "I better go." He said looking at her. "Brooke wants me to have dinner with her, and she will be really upset if I stay any longer."

Lucas walked to the front door, Peyton following him. He opened to door and stepped outside. He began to walk away, but then turned to face her once more. "Hey Peyt…if you ever need _anything_, just let me know? Okay? I am here for you; I want you to know that."

Peyton smiled that weak smile once again and took a few steps closer to him. "Thanks Luke." She wrapped her arms around him, cherishing that last moment of comfort.

Lucas kissed her lightly on the cheek. "I'll check on you tomorrow, kay?"

Peyton nodded her head and waved at him as he got in his car and drove away.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story, and I'm sorry that I haven't been updating more often. I have been busy with my other LP story, **_**Total Strangers**_**, and I have also been creating a few Leyton videos that I have uploaded on Youtube. You can find the link to them in my profile, if you are interested in viewing them.**

**Anyways, if you have any ideas for this story feel free to let me know in a review, message, or email. I know it's moving slow, but it is kinda supposed too. Anyways, please review. : )**

Nathan walked across the street, holding Haley's hand. They approached the coffee shop and he held the door open for her as the walked in. "Hey Luke!" Nathan said smiling as he saw his blonde brother sitting at their regular table.

"Hey Nate." Lucas stood up and hugged both Nathan and Haley.

"Still in denial?" Haley asked. She sat down and grabbed the coffee that Lucas had ordered for her while he waited on her and Nathan to arrive.

Lucas sat back down in his chair and leaned backwards. "About what?" he sipped on his coffee.

"About Peyton of course." Haley said laughing.

Lucas shook his head and sat his coffee down. "Hales, come on, just drop it." Lucas then turned and looked at Nathan, who sat beside him. "You need to explain to your wife that death tends to traumatize people." Lucas then looks at Haley once again. "That means that Peyton is really upset about Jake's death. I am too." He said the last words quietly. His mind drifted through all of the memories that he had shared with Jake. "I was his best friend, Haley. It has only been two weeks since we lost him. It would be wrong on many levels for me to put Peyton through all of that."

Haley threw her head back in laughter. "Through all of the pain of the Truth?" she said still laughing. "The truth that you are in love with her?" she questioned.

"Yes!" Lucas said as he slammed his fist down into the table. "Please Haley, just stop!" Lucas closed his eyes and tried to get rid of the sudden anger he had towards his friend. "I'm sorry." He spoke softly as his eyes slowly opened.

"I'm sorry Luke; I didn't know that this upset you so much. I mean I was just kidding with you."

Lucas tuned Haley's voice out of his mind, not listening to anything she had to say. His eyes were focused on the figure outside of the shop window that was crossing the street. Lucas immediately grabbed his bag off the floor and stood up. "I gotta go!" he hollered as he ran out the door.

Nathan and Haley both watched Lucas as he ran outside, leaving them behind. When Haley realized where he was going she began to laugh. She pointed outside the window at a blonde that walked down the sidewalk and at Lucas that chased after her. Nathan then to began to laugh. "He's got it bad." Nathan said with a smile.

"Peyton!" Lucas called out as he chased after her.

At the sound of someone yelling her name, Peyton quickly turned around to see Lucas. "Hey Lucas." She said smiling at him as he caught up with her.

Lucas stopped jogging as he stood beside her, and the two of them now began to walk down the sidewalk together. "Hey." He said softly as he tried to catch his breath. "What are you up to?" he asked, looking down at the bags she carried.

"Just getting out of the house, _trying_ to have some fun."

"How is that going for you?"

"Honestly? Not so good." She said, beginning to laugh.

Lucas looked down at his watch, which read twelve-thirty. "Want to grab some lunch with me?" he asked as he came to a stop and placed his hands on his waist.

Peyton smiled at his offer. "Yeah, okay, sure. What do you have in mind?"

"Something simple. How about Pizza?"

"Perfect!" she said smiling. "Haven't had pizza in a while."

"Alright, Pizza it is." Lucas said as he smiled again.

"Here you go; two slices of pepperoni!" Lucas took a seat across from Peyton and laid a plate in front of her.

She looked over at his plate, which contained two slices of Canadian bacon and pineapple pizza. "Pineapple?" she asked laughing. "On a pizza?"

"Yeah, it's good!" Lucas protested. "Here, try it." He picked up a piece and held it up towards her mouth.

Peyton was a bit hesitant when she saw the slice of pizza held out in front of her. She looked at Lucas and then back down at the pizza. "Okay." She said and leaned forward and took a small bite of the pizza that he held in his hand.

After she took her bite Lucas slowly lowered the slice back down onto his plate and watched her chew it slowly. "So?" he asked as she finally swallowed.

"Wow, that's pretty good. Surprisingly." She said with a laugh.

Lucas smiled at her. "Well here, you can finish off this piece if you let me have one of those." He said pointing down at the pizza on her plate.

Peyton looked down at her plate and handed him on of the pepperoni slices. "There you go." She said as they exchanged pizza.

Later that day Lucas drove Peyton home. He parked outside of the large house she now lived in. "So how are you holding up?" he asked as he turned off the ignition.

She looked down and then out the window at the house. "I don't know Luke. Not so good." She let out a sigh. "It's really hard. I feel empty. I feel like I no longer have a purpose in life."

Lucas hated to hear those words come out of her mouth. He turned to face her. His hand reached out and touched her chin, lifting it up so she was looking at him. "Peyton…" he began. "Don't say that, you're amazing. I know it's hard, and you're always going to miss Jake. Eventually you are going to feel better, but part of you will always love him. But someday you will find someone else that will love you just as much as Jake does."

"Does?" Peyton asked looking Lucas in the eyes.

"You were his world Peyton." Lucas then removed his hand from her face. "He may not be here with you…." Lucas said as he looked out at the house. "But he will always be in here." Lucas raised his hand and placed it over his heart. "Always." He repeated.

A smile inched across Peyton's face slowly, causing Lucas to smile. "Thanks Luke. You always know how to make everything better." Peyton moved closer to him and kissed him lightly on the cheek. "You're an amazing friend Lucas." She said as she opened the car door.

Lucas looked down, the word _friend_ ringing through his head. That's what he had always been to her, _a friend_. That's what he would always be, _the friend_. Lucas nodded at her as she shut the door and began to walk away. She then turned around and walked back towards Lucas' car. "Hey Luke?" she asked as she stuck her head through the window.

"Yeah?"

"Could you stay with me?" She asked as she glanced over at the large house over her shoulder.

"Nah, I can't Brooke is expecting me over at her house tonight."

"Not just tonight Lucas." Peyton looked down in embarrassment. "I want you to move in with me."

Lucas was shocked by her offer. "Peyton…" he uttered slowly. "Brooke wouldn't like that." He said laughing.

"Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry for asking. I just thought, well never mind, I don't know what I was thinking. It wouldn't be for long though, I promise. Just until I get back on my feet. And you can still stay over at Brooke's some nights. Heck, she can move in here too." Peyton began to laugh.

Lucas laughed too. "No. Brooke will _not_ be moving in with me if I decide too." Lucas paused before continuing. "I'll think about it, okay?"

"Thanks Luke. I love you for this." She said with a smile as she walked away and escaped into the house.

Lucas smiled at her words. _I love you for this_. Lucas slowly turned the key in the car and began to drive away.

Peyton changed into her pajamas and settled down into her bed with a bowl of her favorite ice cream, chocolate chip cookie dough. She pulled the covers up to her waist and turned on the TV and began to watch a cheesy movie from the seventies. _Brooke wouldn't be moving in with him too?_ Her mind asked as it drifted back to her conversation with Lucas. _What does that mean?_ Peyton shrugged her shoulders and gave her attention back to the television.


	4. Chapter 4

Lucas sat on the couch in Brooke's apartment after watching a long movie. It seemed much longer to Lucas since he hadn't been paying attention; his mind was focused on Peyton. Brooke scooted closer to him, wrapping one arm around his neck and using her other hand to rub up and down his chest. She then leaned up a little and buried her face in the crook of his neck. "I love you." She whispered as she began to kiss his neck. Lucas let out a deep sigh, immediately causing Brooke to stop and look at him. She moved a bit closer to him, so she was now straddling him. "What's wrong baby?" she asked as she kissed him on the lips.

Lucas quickly pulled away from the kiss and looked at her, his girlfriend. They had been together for two years, two years full of lies and denial. Lucas hated himself for lying to her, and for constantly denying his true feelings towards Peyton, but he couldn't do it any longer. "I think I might move in with Peyton."

Instantly after his words escaped, Brooke got off of him. She crossed her arms and looked forward. "Move in with Peyton?" she asked, making sure she had understood him correctly. She looked over at him as he nodded his head. Brooke brought up a hand to her forehead. "wow." She said as she tried to hold back the tears that were now bulged up in her eyes. "I have asked you if you wanted to move in together three times! She asks once, Luke, and you say yes?" Brooke said with frustration running through her voice. She stood up and turned her back to him. "Wow, I used to think I meant something to you Lucas." She said, now turning around to face him.

Lucas stood up and took a step forward, placing a hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her down. "Brooke…" he whispered. "You do mean something to me."

Brooke threw his hand off of her and glared at him. "Don't you dare touch me!" she hollered as the tears now poured out of her eyes. "I kinda always knew you loved her. I just continued to tell myself that if I loved you, you would eventually love me back. How could I have been so stupid?"

"It probably won't even happen! I haven't spoken with Peyton in nearly a week. She won't answer her phone, or her door. So I may not do it." Lucas said, trying to reassure her.

"You should leave." Brooke said weakly as she once again tried to hold back her tears. She picked up Lucas' leather jacket off of her couch and threw it at him. Brooke walked towards the door, opening it, and waiting for him to exit. As Lucas stepped out the door she stared at him. "If you _do_ move in with her, we are done." She threatened as she looked down.

"Then it is for the best." Lucas said turning around and walking to his car. When he got in the drivers seat he rested his head up against the steering wheel. _You just broke up with an amazing girl for someone you can never have. Good job Luke. _Lucas shook his head. He knew he was wrong, as much as he had denied it; Peyton wasn't the only reason for their break-up.

_I need to check on her_. He said to himself as the thought of Peyton invaded his mind.

Lucas approached the door of Peyton's house slowly. He knew she was home; her car was parked in the driveway, but it had been there all week. Lucas glanced down at his watch, it was nine thirty. _I'm sure she is still awake._ He said to himself smiling. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed her number as he sat on her doorstep. Of course there was no answer. He usually hated to just show up unannounced, but he was going to have to.

Lucas lifted up his right hand and knocked on the door. He waited two minutes, but there was still no answer. He had begun to be really worried about her the past week. Every time he had tried to get a hold of her, he failed. She wouldn't answer her phone, or the door. What was he supposed to do now?

Lucas walked over to the side of the house and tried to peek through a window, but the inside was dark and he couldn't see anything. "Damn!" He cursed under his breath as he shook his head. He walked over to the fence that led to the backyard, but the gate was locked. He slowly lifted one foot up and stuck it through the fence and began to climb up. Once he jumped down from the top his phone began to ring. He looked down as Haley's name flashed on the screen. "Hello?" he said trying to catch his breath from the jump.

"_Luke? Hey, you okay? I haven't heard from you in a few days. And you have seemed a bit distant lately." Haley said from the other side of the line. _

"Yeah Hales, I'm okay. Look I really can't talk right now; I'm at Peyton's."

"_Ooh!" Haley said laughing. "So you're too busy to talk." She said as she continued to laugh. _

"Not now Haley, I'm trying to sneak into her house."

"_Umm…Why would you want to sneak into her house?"_

"Because Haley, she won't talk to me!"

"_What did you do?"_

"I didn't do anything. She just won't answer the phone or the door."

"_Maybe she isn't home."_

"She is home."

"_Okay Sherlock." Haley said with sarcasm. "So, did you tell Brooke that you're moving in with Peyton yet?"_

"Yeah, and I broke up with her."

"_Wow!" Haley said shocked. "How did she take it?"_

"I'm sorry Hales, but I really can't do this right now. I'll call you tomorrow." Lucas said as he then shut his phone, leaving Haley shocked that he had hung up on her.

Lucas then looked around the backyard. He hadn't even been back here before. It contained a very nice large pool, which Jake had once told him about. He glanced around at the grass that had grown half way up to his knees. Lucas made his way through the grass and over to the sliding glass door that lead into the house. He peeked through it, but couldn't see anything. He pulled on the door slightly, causing it to slide open. He smiled; at least this part was easy.

"Peyton?" he yelled throughout the house, but didn't hear anything. He began to walk up the stairs, careful not to trip since the house was dark. As he reached the top he took a right, heading into her bedroom. He knocked softly on the doorway of the opened door. "Peyt?" he called, but still nothing. He walked slowly, still unable to see. He fumbled his hand up against the wall, looking for the light switch. When he reached it the lights came on, and he saw her.

She was laid in bed. Lucas slowly walked over to her to make sure she was okay. "Thank god." He mumbled smiling. Lucas glanced around the room. It was messy, clothes all over the floor, and the trashcan was overflowing with papers. He saw a large comfortable looking chair in the corner of the room. He turned on the lamp next to it and then turned off the ceiling fan light. He sat down in the chair and rested his head in the palm of his head. _I'll just stay here tonight, that way I can talk to her in the morning._ He said to himself as he closed his eyes.

**Next chapter, Peyton has a confession!**


	5. Chapter 5

Lucas stirred in his sleep at the sound of objects being thrown together. He slowly opened his eyes and glanced around the room until he saw the source of all the racket. He saw Peyton throwing several things into large boxes. Lucas looked around at where he was before he rubbed his eyes. "What are you doing?" he asked in a groggy voice, still adjusting his eyes to the light.

"Getting rid of all of this stuff." She answered without looking at him.

Lucas stood up from the chair that he had slept in all night and took a few steps towards one of the boxes. He pulled out a shirt that lay on top. He shook the shirt so it unfolded. He took a good glance at the shirt before folding it back up and moving towards the next box that contained a bunch of CDs. "This is all of Jake's stuff." He said looking over at Peyton who continued to put all of the stuff in boxes.

"Yeah." She answered, still not once looking at him.

"Why?"

"I thought I could do this, and I could have, but not anymore."

Lucas shook his head, not understanding what she meant. "What are you talking about?" Peyton walked over to a dresser and pulled a handful of shirts out and began to fold them and place them in boxes. "Peyton!" he yelled since she wasn't responding to his question. "What the hell is going on?" He took a step towards her and pulled everything she held from her grasps. "Talk to me! What are you doing? You haven't talked to anyone in a week, what is all of this about?" Peyton turned away from him and left the room, Lucas following close behind. "Where are you going?" he called out after her. Lucas reached out and grabbed a hold of her arm, pulling her close to him. He kept a grip on her arm and looked down at her. "Peyton, talk to me, please. I want to be here for you, but I can't be if you won't let me." He pleaded.

"Lucas, just leave it alone okay." She looked down.

"Why won't you look at me?"

"Because I can't!"

A look of confusion grew across Lucas' face. "Peyton, please just tell me what is going on."

"Fine! Do you want to know why I haven't been up to holding pointless conversations with you this past week? First off, Jake is gone, and I am _never_ getting him back. Second, I'm never going to move on with all of his possessions haunting me!" she yelled as she pointed into the bedroom that held all of the boxes. And third…" she tried to say it, but instead she leaned up against the wall and fell down to the ground in tears. "I'm pregnant." Peyton pulled her hands up to her face and allowed the tears to stream down her face rapidly.

Lucas mouth dropped at what she had just said. He sat down next to her, and pulled her hands into his own. "Is it Jake's?" he questioned as he tried to look into her eyes, but she wouldn't allow it.

"What kind of question is that Lucas?" she asked as her head turned so she could at him. "I loved him more than I have ever loved anyone, how can you ask that? Of course it's Jake's! That is the stupidest question I have been asked in a long time."

"Well, I wasn't sure if there was you know; someone else now."

Peyton shook her head, trying to hold back her tears. "No, nobody else. There was only Jake."

"So what are you going to do?" Lucas asked as she once again hid her eyes from him.

"I don't know." She said between sobs. "I want to keep it, and I am old enough where I could be a mother, but can I handle this? Can I handle having a child that would make me cry every time I saw them? A child that would only remind me of him?"

Lucas shrugged. "You're one of the strongest people I know Peyton. You can do anything." He wrapped his arms around her and allowed her tears to soak through the clothing of his shirt that covered his right shoulder. He slowly stood up, pulling her up with him. Peyton leaned up against the wall and covered her face, wiping away all of her tears. "But I still don't understand why you are getting rid of all of his stuff."

"I can't look at it anymore. I just can't stand knowing it's here, it all just suffocates me. I'm not getting rid of it though, just putting it up in storage. I would never get rid of it."

Lucas nodded. "I want you to know something, Peyton. What ever you decide, with this baby, I want to be here for you. I want to help, but don't ever shut me out like you have this past week. I want to be here for you, and I want you to know that I am always willing to help."

"Thanks Luke." She said as she embraced herself in his arms once more.

**Short Chapter, but the next one will be longer. Please Review!**


	6. Chapter 6

Lucas sat at the table of the kitchen in Peyton's house. He was scanning over the headlines of the day's paper when Peyton walked into the kitchen. "Good morning!" Lucas said without looking up at her. "How are you feeling today?" he stood up and walked over towards her, a smile spreading across his face.

"Feelin' good. How about you?" Peyton opened up a cupboard and pulled out two mugs and filled them up with coffee, handing them each to Lucas as he poured crème and sugar into them. After a week of living together they had put together their own morning routine.

"I am good." He smiled and handed Peyton her mug and they each took a sip of their coffee. "What do you have planned for today?" he asked. "I think I'm going to go down to the gym in a bit." He said sitting back down.

"Mind if I tag along?" she asked as she sat across from him.

"Well of course I don't mind, but are you sure that it's wise, with the baby I mean."

Peyton looked down at the mention of the baby; she had been trying to avoid this subject all week. She let out a deep sigh. "I don't know." She shrugged.

Lucas shook his head. "Okay, Peyt. I know you aren't ready to talk about it, but we need to." He reached his hand out and took a hold of her's. "We need to talk about this. What are you going to do?"

"What do you think I am going to do Lucas!?" she demanded, placing her coffee cup down and standing up. She reached her hands up and threaded them through her hair. "I have no reason of why I shouldn't keep it!" she screamed. "I have to!" A tear streamed down her face.

At the sight of the tear Lucas jumped up, pulling her into his arms. "Peyton." He said softly looking down at her. "It's your decision. You don't _have_ to do anything; it's all up to you."

Peyton buried her face into his chest. "I wish I didn't have to deal with this, I wish this hadn't happened." Peyton sighed and pulled away from the embrace he had on her. "I'm going to keep it. I need to." She stated before leaving the room.

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Later that day Lucas went out for lunch with Haley and Nathan. "So where is Peyton?" Haley asked as the three of them took a seat at their table in Chili's.

Lucas rolled his eyes at Haley. "She's at home." He answered as he took a look at his menu.

"So how's being roomies treating you?" Haley asked as she looked over at Lucas from across the table.

Lucas glanced over at Nathan. "Watch out Nate, it usually is a bad sign when your wife talks about other woman more than she talks about you." Lucas smiled back over at Haley and laughed.

A look of shock grew across Haley's face before she laughed dryly. "Very funny, Luke." She answered before hitting him playfully from across the table. "But come on, I want some details here!"

Lucas sighed. "It's okay, I guess. Peyton refuses to open up to me though. I just wish she could talk to me; I just want to make everything go away for her. I wish I could make everything better for her."

"Aww…" Haley smiled. "But not what I wanted to hear, I meant how are you and Peyton _doing_?" She smiled.

"Nothing will ever happen with us!" Lucas protested. "Peyton and I are _friends_." Lucas hated saying those words, friends. He wanted to be so much more with her, but he knew it could never happen.

"Whatever you say Lucas Scott. But one day you will see, you and Peyton are much more than the two of you seem to think you are."

Lucas shook his head as he looked back down at the menu.

----------------------------

Peyton heard a sound from downstairs and she walked down the stairs slowly to find Lucas in the doorway. "Oh, hey you're home." She smiled. "How was lunch?" she asked as she sat down on the bottom step.

Lucas shrugged and sat down next to her. "It was okay. Haley wants you to come tomorrow."

Peyton leaned over to rest her head on his shoulder. "Sure, I would love to."

Peyton's actions took Lucas by surprise, but he smiled and put an arm around her waist and kissed the temple of her head. "You're going to be okay." He whispered. "And you're going to make a wonderful mother."

"I'm so scared." She said softly as she stared forward.

"I know, and I am too." Lucas answered, causing Peyton to immediately turn to look at him. "I'm just as scared as you are."

Peyton smiled and then laughed. "What do you have to be scared of?" she asked as she studied his eyes.

"Everything." Lucas answered softly. "I'm scared of a lot of things." He looked away from her. "I'm scared of life, living and dying, and…" he turned to look at her once again. "I am completely terrified of you." Peyton looked up at Lucas confused, so he knew he needed to explain himself. "You are so strong Peyton. You can make it through anything, and you have proved that. You do it every day; over and over again you have proved to everyone how strong you are." Peyton looked down, away from Lucas, but he lifted her chin up so he could look her in the eyes once again. "You are so amazing Peyton. And the scary part is that you don't even realize it."

Peyton stared into his piercing blue eyes, as the two of them sat there in silence. Lucas' arm stayed wrapped around her waist as her eyes stayed focused on his. She reached one hand up, touching the side of his face as she moved closer to him. Peyton stared into his eyes on last second. As her mind was erased of all of the complications that had invaded their lives the past month, her lips softly brushed against his.

Lucas pulled her even closer to him as he wrapped his arms tighter around her small body. He felt the warmth of her lips around his own just as she began to pull away from him. She looked down once they pulled away and shook her head. "I'm sorry." She bit her bottom lip before standing up and running back up the stairs. Lucas bowed his head and watched her disappear into the hallway of the second story. He brought up one hand to his face and shook his head. "Damn it Lucas." He muttered under his breath to himself.

**Sorry for the long wait on this chapter. I have had it written for a long time, but it has been on a different computer this entire time and I didn't have access to this computer. Anyways, I may update tomorrow. Please Review!**


	7. Chapter 7

Peyton opened the door to a small café, causing the bell to ring and everyone to turn and look at her. "Peyton?" a voice asked. "Is that you?" Peyton looked up to see Haley walking towards her.

"Hey." Peyton smiled. "Lucas mentioned you worked here and I decided to drop by."

"Oh, great!" Haley smiled. "Have a seat." Haley said as she walked behind the counter. "Can I get you anything?"

"No, I'm good." Peyton answered before glancing around at the café. "So…This is where you work."

"Yeah." Haley responded with a smile. "Karen's café!" She exclaimed. "It's a small chain ran by Lucas' mom. They only have two locations. His mom runs the one down in Tree Hill and I convinced her to open one up here after I got my business degree at NCU."

Peyton nodded. "Well I was hoping we could kinda talk about something." Peyton suggested.

"Sure, what is it?" Haley asked as she took a seat.

Peyton looked away and let out a sigh. "Lucas."

Haley smiled; she knew this conversation would happen at some time. "So what happened?" Haley asked, giving Peyton her full attention.

"I kissed him." Peyton whispered as she shook her head. "It was terrible."

"The kiss was terrible!?" Haley questioned, a bit of frustration flowing through her voice. She had waited a long time for something to happen between Lucas and Peyton; it wasn't supposed to end up being _terrible_.

"No." Peyton answered softly. "It was great. _The kiss was great_, but I shouldn't have kissed him! There were so many things I just wasn't thinking about. What about Jake, Brooke, what about my baby?" Peyton asked.

"Wait…" Haley said holding out a hand. "Okay…First off what baby?" Haley said her jaw dropping. "I didn't know there was going to be a baby." She paused a moment before asking another question. "Is it Jake's?"

Peyton brought up one hand over her forehead and shook her head. "Why does everyone keep asking me that?" she asked in an annoyed tone. "_Yes_ it's Jake's!"

"Okay, okay. Sorry. Alright, so we cleared up the baby part. Now why are Jake and Brooke a problem?" Haley asked.

Peyton let out a soft chuckle. "Why are they a problem?" Peyton asked rhetorically. "Well let's see…." Peyton started. "Jake is only the love my life who just died a couple months ago! And Brooke is Lucas' freakin' girlfriend!" Peyton hollered.

"Peyton, Calm down." Haley said placing a hand on Peyton's shoulder. "Okay, I get it. It's not the right time for you and Lucas. I'm sorry."

"Haley." Peyton whispered. "It's never going to be the right time." She stood up and walked towards the door of the café. "It was all just a big mistake, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have even came." Peyton said as she left.

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Lucas was over at Haley and Nathan's house watching a basketball game with Nathan when his phone began to ring. "It's Haley." Lucas said as he glanced down at his phone and then over at Nathan who sat on the couch next to him. "Hello?" Lucas said after flipping open his phone.

"_Hey Luke." Haley said into the line. "Where are you?"_

"I'm at you're house." Lucas said laughed. "Where are you Miss Haley?"

"_Now isn't the time for jokes. Peyton was just here at the café and she is really upset." Haley explained._

"About what?"

"_About you!" _

"Alright, I'll go check on her." Lucas said with a deep sigh. "Bye Hales." Lucas hung up the phone and stood up from where he sat. "I gotta go, Nate. Sorry."

"What about the game?" Nathan asked as he stood up too and pointed at the television.

"I need to go find Peyton." Lucas said as he reached forward to give his brother a quick hug. "How about I call you later and maybe you, me, Hales, and Peyton can have dinner together?" He suggested.

"Alright, sure. See you later man." Nathan said waving a quick goodbye to his brother as he left the apartment.

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Lucas got out of his car. This was the fourth place he came to while looking for Peyton. He tried calling her cell phone, but she never answered. He looked around, he hated cemeteries. He slowly walked towards the direction of where Jake's grave was. As he approached it he could see Peyton sitting on the ground in front of it. Her face was buried in her hands. Lucas sat down beside her and placed and arm on her back. "Hey." He spoke softly, trying not to startle her. "Mind telling me what's going on?"

She pulled her face out of her hands and turned to look at him. "I'm sorry." She leaned over towards him, wrapping her arms around his neck to hug him. "I'm so sorry Luke." She said again.

"You don't need to be sorry." Lucas answered as she continued to hug him.

"Yeah I do." She pulled away from him. "I shouldn't have kissed you, and I am sorry for many reasons. I'll tell Brooke about it if you want me to, that way she won't be mad at you."

Lucas shook his head. "You don't need to tell Brooke, we broke up."

"What? When?" Peyton asked shocked.

"Before I even moved in." Lucas said looking down.

"And you didn't tell me?" she questioned.

"No."

Peyton shook her head. "You are pretty unbelievable Lucas! I was feeling so bad about kissing another girl's boyfriend."

"I'm sorry Peyton, I didn't know it was a big deal, I just didn't want to talk about it."

Peyton let out a small chuckle. "You didn't want to talk to me about how your girlfriend dumped you? Yet I have been completely open and honest with you about my fiancé dieing!" Peyton stood up and looked down at Lucas. "This isn't working. I'm sorry; I think you should move out."

Lucas watched Peyton walk away, still surprised by what had just happened. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Haley's number. _"Hello?" Haley said when she answered the phone._

"I found her." Lucas stated

"_Good!" Haley exclaimed. "She okay?"_

"No. She is so upset, and confused." He paused for a moment. "I hate seeing her like this Hales."

"_I know you do. That's what happens when you love someone."_

"Haley! I'm not in the mood for your jokes okay?"

"_Luke, I'm not joking. I know you love her, all you need to do is admit it to yourself."_

Lucas let out a deep sigh. "She wants me to move out."

"_Oh." Haley said softly. "Are you going to?"_

"I don't want to, but I have to." Lucas paused before he continued. "This is so messed up. I need to go. I'm going to clear my head and everything; I'll call you in the morning. Bye Haley." Lucas hung up the phone. He laid backwards in the grass staring up at the sky.

**Short chapter. I'm not too happy with it, but oh well this was the third time I have written it. Please review! Let me know if you have any ideas for the story. **


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